In a report on how to improve the road safety of electric scooters, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), indicates that the majority of the 32 European countries analysed by this entity establish a minimum age for driving an electric scooter, with only the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Portugal and Sweden not having an age limit.

ETSC is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries in transport in Europe, of which Portuguese Road Prevention is a part.

The ETSC report also states that only 10 countries require e-scooter drivers to have some type of insurance, with Portugal among one of the countries that does not impose mandatory insurance.

In the document, the European Transport Safety Council proposes the adoption of mandatory safety standards for electric scooters across the European Union, a measure that aims to improve safety on public roads and reduce the number of accidents involving this means of transport.

According to ETSC, the new standards must include a mandatory speed limit of 20 kilometres per hour, as well as minimum stability, braking and acceleration requirements.

ETSC also recommends that EU governments should set a minimum age of 16 for electric scooter riders and implement mandatory helmet use.

In a statement, the PRP reinforces the importance of these measures proposed by ETSC which aim to “protect users and reduce risky behaviour on public roads”, arguing that driving with alcohol or drugs, as well as transporting passengers, should be prohibited, as suggested in the report and as already happens in Portugal.

The PRP indicates that, in Portugal, the use of electric scooters has been growing, especially in urban areas, and it is increasingly common to see them in city centres.

The ETSC report indicates that many accidents involve only drivers, not coming to the attention of authorities, which can make data collection and, therefore, difficult to understand the real risks involved.

In this sense, the PRP recommends greater coordination between hospital data and police records, as well as making them available to improve the characterisation of the problem, analysis and prevention of accidents.

The Highway Code in Portugal equates electric scooters to bicycles, which means that the circulation rules are the same, for example, it is prohibited to ride on sidewalks and they must travel on the mandatory lanes for bicycles.

However, taking into account the specific characteristics of these vehicles, the PRP considered that “it is important to make adjustments to the regulations that increase the safety of users of these vehicles”, and the European Union must also “establish a common standard to ensure greater uniformity and effectiveness in security policies in all countries in the region”.

Portuguese Road Prevention also highlights that reducing speed in urban areas, as suggested by ETSC, is one “of the best ways to increase the safety of all road users, namely pedestrians, cyclists and scooter drivers”.

According to PRP, in several European cities, such as Helsinki and Oslo, speed limiting on scooters has proven effective in reducing accidents.

Data made available in Portugal by the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) indicate that until June this year there were 1,583 accidents involving bicycles, including electric scooters, 2.9% more than in 2023 and 49.2% more than in 2019.

According to ANSR, nine people died in the first half of this year as a result of bicycle accidents and 68 were seriously injured, a decrease compared to previous years.